O Valencia!
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "O Valencia!" | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| Single by The Decemberists | ||
| from the album 'The Crane Wife' | ||
| Released | September 19, 2006 | |
| Format | Digital download CD single |
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| Genre | Indie rock | |
| Length | 3:47 | |
| Label | Capitol | |
| Writer(s) | The Decemberists Colin Meloy |
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| The Decemberists singles chronology | ||
| "16 Military Wives" (2005) |
"O Valencia!" (2006) |
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"O Valencia!" is The Decemberists' fifth single, and the first released off of their fourth studio album, The Crane Wife.
The music was written by The Decemberists and the lyrics by Colin Meloy. It tells a story of two star-crossed lovers, similar to that of Romeo and Juliet (or a modern, urban retelling of Romeo and Juliet, the famous musical West Side Story). A man falls in love with a woman who belongs to a gang which is opposed to one he is in. At the end of the song, the girl jumps in to defend the singer, who is confronting her brother (the singer's "sworn enemy") and her brother, aiming for the singer, accidentally shoots her. Afterwards, the singer vows to "burn this whole city down." Meloy has stated that the song takes place in the city of San Francisco, which has a street named "Valencia."
[edit] Music video
For the music video of this song, The Decemberists filmed themselves in front of a green screen and asked fans to complete it by digitally adding in background images or footage. Stephen Colbert of The Colbert Report, having recently asked fans to do the same with a video of him with a light saber in front of a green screen, brought up The Decemberists on his segment "Look Who's Riding on My Coattails Now" and accused the band of stealing the idea. The Decemberists' response was to challenge Stephen Colbert to a guitar solo showdown on December 20, 2006 on The Colbert Report.
- Further information: The Colbert Report#Greenscreen Challenges
On January 19, 2007, The Decemberists premiered an alternate music video of "O Valencia!" to MTV2. The video follows a character played by Colin Meloy as he and his love Francesca (Lisa Molinaro), daughter of "the Boss" plan an escape to an unknown location. A man in a suit, portrayed by band member Chris Funk, tells him to hide in the "Valencia" hotel while he gets them the necessarily documentation to escape. Above the name of the Hotel, there is a neon sign that reads "Office." The letters have all burnt out except for the "O", creating the title of the song. The video then introduces other characters - various different assassination teams - who sit in different rooms of the hotel waiting the chance to catch the two lovers. Most are portrayed by other members of the band (along with Colin Meloy's long time girlfriend, Carson Ellis).
The video is somewhat influenced by the distinct style and themes of director Wes Anderson, with bold fonts being used to introduce characters and groups on the bottom of the screen (much like in the film The Royal Tenenbaums). The layout of the hotel is also similar to the one used in Bottle Rocket. The band's previous music video, for 16 Military Wives which was highly influenced by the movie Rushmore.
Pitchfork Media reported on March 5, 2007 that the winner of the Green Screen challenge was announced. [1] Kurt Nishimura, the winning director, was chosen as the winner by mtvU for his video that depicted a love affair between a woman and her television (with the TV containing the green-screened Decemberists video footage). [2]
